Namık Gedik

Namık Gedik (1911–1960) was a Turkish physician and politician who served as the minister of interior in the mid-1950s. He was a member of the Democrat Party (DP) which was the ruling party in the period 1950–1960. Kemal Karpat describes him as part of the "rising professionals" within the early DP leadership. He was born in Trabzon in 1911 when his father was serving there as a post officer. He graduated from Kabataş High School in 1930 and received a bachelor's degree in medicine from Istanbul University in 1936.

Career Following graduation Gedik began to work in Çine, Aydın, as a physician. He became a member of the Turkish parliament following the 1950 general election for Aydın and continued to serve in the parliament until 1960 winning a seat for Aydin in the general election in 1954 and in the next election in 1957. Gedik was first appointed to the post on 17 May 1954, and his term ended on 10 September 1955 when he resigned from the office due to the 6–7 September incident, known as Istanbul pogrom. Ethem Menderes replaced Gedik in the post. His both terms witnessed significant events, such as Istanbul pogrom and growing tensions with the Republican People's Party followers and other opposition forces.

Personal life and death Gedik married Melahat Gedik, a judge, in 1937.

Namık Gedik committed suicide on 29 May 1960 throwing himself out of a fourth-floor window of the War College, Ankara, where he had been in custody after the military coup of 27 May.